Oscars 2008

A promised phone call of apology came from the producer of the Oscars to Whoopi Goldberg, after Sunday night's telecast neglected her during a montage highlighting hosts from past ceremonies, Goldberg said on Wednesday's The View.

"Gil Cates called me yesterday," Goldberg said on the ABC daytime show. "He made an oversight, pure and simple."

Jolie, 32, and Brad Pitt, 44, were at home in Los Angeles with the kids and enjoyed the relative peace and quiet, a source tells PEOPLE.

Though neither was at the Oscar ceremony, their absence didn't stop the show's host, Jon Stewart, from including Jolie in a joke about pregnant actresses, saying, "Obviously, Angelina Jolie couldn't be here – it's hard to find 17 babysitters on Oscar night."

The growing Jolie-Pitt family currently includes Maddox, 6, Pax, 4, and Zahara, 3, and Shiloh, 1. A source close to the couple says they are "thrilled to be adding to their brood."

In a scenario straight out of the movies, thieves executed a real-life Italian job by stealing millions of dollars worth of jewels Sunday.

Seven men dressed as police, who had evidently spent weeks digging a tunnel into the Milan showroom of Damiani, came through the cellar wall, tied up staff and within minutes made off with the jewelers' most valuable pieces, the BBC reports.

Luckily, at least a few pieces of Damiani's best were safely on display thousands of miles away at the Oscars in Hollywood.

It is reported that Michael Clayton's Tilda Swinton, who took the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, was wearing a diamond-studded bracelet provided by the jeweler.

Police are calling the job extremely professional and have little trace of the thieves.
– Kristin Boehm

On Monday, the audience-measuring service announced that the overnight ratings were 21 percent lower than last year, when The Departed won the Best Picture award, the Associated Press reports.

The previous least-watched Oscars ceremony was in 2003, when only 33 million viewers tuned in.

Nielsen still does not have an estimate on Sunday night's viewership, but based on the early reports from the top American markets – resulting in a 21.9 rating and 33 share – this is likely to have been the biggest dud in the 80-year history of the Oscars. – Stephen M. Silverman

Sunday night's "In Memoriam" montage during the Oscar ceremony featured some emotional farewells to such stars as Heath Ledger and Suzanne Pleshette, as well as master director Ingmar Bergman. But on Monday morning several blogs (including TMZ and Perez Hilton) noted that one glaring omission appeared to be actor Brad Renfro, who was found dead of a heroin overdose on Jan. 15. He was 25.

When asked for an explanation as to why, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences said in a statement, "There are too many people to include everyone. We tried to represent all the branches of the Academy."

Sean "Diddy" Combs partied the night away on Oscar Sunday – but he still had some time to think about baby gifts for former girlfriend Jennifer Lopez.

On the red carpet at the Academy Award ceremony at the Kodak Theater, the mogul, 38, told PEOPLE that Lopez (now the proud mother of twins) "is going to make a great mother.

"I'm going to send her some Sean John baby clothes," added the dapper Diddy, wearing a tux by Dolce and Gabbana. "I'm so happy for her. It's such a blessing."

Asked if he had any advice for Lopez, 38, Diddy, who is also the father of twins, replied, "It's double the love, and it's also double the crying and the screaming, so it's a unique blessed situation. It's a rarity to have twins. She'll be all right." – Brenda Rodriguez

For the first time ever, George Clooney brought a girlfriend to the Oscars. As the two moved slowly down the red carpet Sunday night, the 46-year-old actor kept his hand on the small of Sarah Larson's back, rubbing her reassuringly as he talked to the press.

And the Michael Clayton star – who was up for Best Actor – was full of praise for his 28-year-old date, who looked radiant in a clingy floral Valentino gown.

"She looks good, huh?" he told PEOPLE on the red carpet. He jokingly added, "I tried it on first and it looked terrible on me."

When she noted that the dress was "really heavy," he gallantly volunteered, "I will carry her."

Ya think Javier Bardem was in a good mood Sunday night? The No Country for Old Men Best Supporting Actor Oscar winner had an emotional entrance at the Miramax Oscars after-party – walking into the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood with the Rolling Stones' "You Can't Always Get What You Want" playing. Bardem teared up, holding his Oscar in the air and jumping up and down as the party stopped to raise a glass to him.